On the morning of March 23, 2026, the symposium titled “Global Arbitration Practice: An Analysis of Arbitration Systems and Practices in China and Europe” was successfully held in Frankfurt, Germany. Organized by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) and hosted by the law firm Bird & Bird, the event attracted representatives from the legal, academic, and business communities of both China and Germany to attend in person.

（The conference venue）

Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIETAC, and Mr. Heiko Heppner, Senior Partner at Bird & Bird and Chair of ILEX, delivered welcome addresses. Secretary General Wang Chengjie first expressed his sincere gratitude to the conference organizers for their strong support. He noted that the seminar, themed on the comparison of arbitration systems between China and Europe, aligns closely with the current trend of increasingly close economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany. In recent years, the number of cases involving German parties accepted by CIETAC has consistently ranked among the highest, making the timing of this conference particularly opportune. Subsequently, focusing on key observations—including the vital role of arbitration in cross-border dispute resolution, the trend toward more complex and high-value cases, parties’ growing demands for dispute resolution services, and the broad international consensus on cooperation in the field of arbitration—he provided attendees with a systematic overview of CIETAC’s diverse case portfolio, its continuously rising level of internationalization, and its growing capacity for dispute resolution. He also highlighted CIETAC’s proactive efforts to keep pace with the digital and intelligent era, adapt to market demands, and continuously enhance its professional service capabilities. He expressed hope that this conference would serve as a new starting point to further align CIETAC’s professional services with the needs of Sino-German and Sino-European economic and trade cooperation, establish a long-term exchange mechanism for the Sino-European arbitration community, and jointly improve the efficiency and quality of cross-border commercial dispute resolution.

（Remarks by Secretary-General Wang Chengjie）

In his remarks, Mr. Heiko Heppner noted that Bird & Bird had conducted systematic and detailed research and studies on the enforcement of CIETAC arbitration awards in the United States. Based on the findings of this comprehensive and in-depth study, Mr. Heiko Heppner highly commended the high quality of CIETAC’s arbitral awards and their strong enforcement track record, while fully acknowledging the mature, comprehensive, high-quality, and efficient arbitration practice system that CIETAC has gradually developed through its long-standing arbitration experience. Finally, he clearly expressed his hope that the CIETAC delegation would share the latest achievements and experiences in arbitration practice during this event, thereby laying a more solid foundation for further deepening exchanges and expanding cooperation between the two sides.

（Mr. Heiko Heppner Delivers a Welcome Address.）

The subsequent panel discussion, themed “Mutual Learning in Arbitration from a Cross-Border Perspective,” was co-moderated by Ms. Lin Miao, President of ACT Carbon Fiber Application Technology Co., Ltd., and Mr. Heiko Heppner. Ms. Lu Fei, Director of the Business Development Division at CIETAC and Secretary General of the European Arbitration Center; Dr. Matthias Maximilian Weiss, General Counsel of the Scholz Group; and Dr. Philipp Egler and Dr. Jiri Jaeger, Senior Partners and Co-Heads of the Dispute Resolution Practice at Bird & Bird, engaged in in-depth discussions on two topics: “Distinctive Features of Arbitration Practice at CIETAC and the German Arbitration Institute” and “Dialogue Between Legal Cultures: Comparison and Integration of the Common Law Arbitration Tradition and the Mainland China Arbitration System.” Director Lu Fei provided attendees with a detailed explanation of key amendments to China’s Arbitration Law, the advantages of institutional arbitration—including the role of arbitration secretaries and the award review system in CIETAC’s procedural management—practical experience in combining arbitration with mediation, and core aspects of CIETAC’s rules of evidence. The German experts, drawing on their dual perspective as users of both CIETAC and the German Institute of Arbitration (DIS), compared the distinctive features of the two institutions’ arbitration practices and the differences in their arbitration rules, providing the attendees with multidimensional and in-depth professional insights.

（From left to right: Ms. Lin Miao, Ms. Lu Fei, Dr. Philipp Egler, Dr. Matthias Maximilian Weiss, and Dr. Jiri Jaeger）

Participants spoke highly of the seminar, unanimously agreeing that the agenda was well-targeted and the content practical. The speakers’ presentations were both professional and practical, not only providing attendees with a clear understanding of CIETAC’s latest achievements and the latest developments in Sino-German arbitration, but also establishing a high-quality platform for exchange and collaboration within the Sino-European arbitration community.

The successful hosting of this symposium, titled “Global Arbitration Practices: An Analysis of Arbitration Systems and Practices in China and Europe,” represents a significant initiative by CIETAC to foster a deeper understanding of Chinese arbitration practices among the German arbitration community. It has effectively facilitated the two-way exchange of information regarding arbitration systems and the latest practical experiences between China and Europe. This event not only helps various sectors in Germany gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of arbitration in China but also holds important and far-reaching significance for improving the business environment for Chinese enterprises in Germany and deepening economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe.

Lu Yahan, Vice Director of the Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution Division at CIETAC, and Li Xuefei, CIETAC’s Brand Operations Manager, attended the event.